Alumni Stories
Sports journalism from the heart of Canberra
From the sidelines of the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals, when the Tillies brought home the international title for Australia, to being the sole camera operator in the Athlete’s Village at the Tokyo Olympics, Brett Frawley has been behind the scenes for some of the major Australian sports moments in recent history.
“It might surprise people to know that you don’t have to move to Sydney or Melbourne to find an exciting job in sports media,” Brett says.
University of Canberra alumni and longtime friends, Brett Frawley and Nicholas Arganese, created a national sports media business, operating out of Canberra. Good Shout services major clients in the sporting world, including Swimming Australia, Rowing Australia, Paralympics Australia and the Australian Olympic Committee.
“If you have a passion for sport, you want to be there in those big moments,” Brett says.
The Women’s World Cup last year was a standout experience – we worked on a documentary for the tournament. We were in change rooms and on the sidelines from the very first game, Australia vs Ireland, all the way through to the final.
“It was an incredible privilege to be there, capturing some incredible moments.”
Though his day-to-day life now includes jet-setting between countries and immersing himself in the sports world – Brett’s journey in the industry began at a local ACT college, flicking through a course guide booklet.
“I didn't do super well in high school, but the two subjects I really liked were media and PE,” Brett says.
“I knew I wanted to go to uni and do something I would enjoy. That’s when I saw the University of Canberra’s Bachelor of Sport Media.”
Though it was his interest in sports that led him to the University, the more he learned about journalism, the more passionate he became. He graduated in 2011 and began working freelance in the industry, covering in person the kinds of events that he used to see from behind a TV screen.
He was living his dream, but the demands of the work were becoming increasingly difficult to manage alone.
“At then at the end of 2016, I had just got back from covering the Rio Olympics and was completely burnt out. I realised that I had to hire people to help me,” Brett says.
“Nicholas was my first employee.”
Nicholas has known Brett for as long as he can remember – his older brother’s best mate from the time they were in preschool, and someone whom he describes as a mentor and supporter to him during his later years at university.
“From a really early age, I knew that I wanted to do something that involved telling stories, and that involved video. I’ve just always loved it,” Nicholas says.
He started a Bachelor of Media Arts and Production at UC, and not long after, picked up an entry level editing job. The combination of coursework and industry work allowed him to upskill quickly.
“I remember taking on the degree and learning that there’s not just one clear-cut path that you can take into the industry – there were heaps of different opportunities,” Nicholas says.
By the time I graduated, I was ready to just rip in, and join forces with Brett.
Brett registered Good Shout Proprietary Limited in July 2017, and he and Nicholas worked side by side.
“After a year or so, I sold a portion of the business to Nicholas and since then we've pulled together. It was easily the best decision I've ever made,” Brett says.
“I agree,” Nicholas says. “It's one of the best decisions I've ever made as well.”
As they grew their business and brand, Brett and Nicholas brought on additional staff and took on more and more clients. Their goal throughout this period of growth, was to stay true to their mission: creating high quality work, produced by passionate sports media professionals.
“For me personally, it's really important to acknowledge the team. All the great things that Good Shout has done over the years, couldn't have been done without the people around us,” Nicholas says.
In 2024, Good Shout have been busier than ever – Nicholas has been to Doha, the Bahamas and Paris since the start of this year alone – and with the Olympics officially kicking off this week, they’ve just launched their first co-directed documentary together, in collaboration with Channel Nine's Wide World of Sports. Race To Paris follows the personal journeys of members of Australia's swimming, rowing and athletics team as they try and qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The pair are proudly Canberran and have always felt fortunate to lead exciting careers without having to leave home. Now through their business, it’s an opportunity they can offer to other sports journalists.
“The team is something that we're extremely proud of. Waking up every morning and getting to work with your mates – that's a pretty good gig if you ask me – and it’s something that we want to continue to grow,” Nicholas says.
Through a partnership with UC’s Faculty of Arts and Design, the Good Shout team is keen to create local internship opportunities and career pathways for sports media students and graduates.
“It’s an opportunity to experience more than just the standard type of video work like real estate work or wedding videography. We want to send people on big adventures, from a safe home base,” Brett says.
Nicholas and Brett are confident in the future of their business, and the place of sports journalism, in bringing people closer to the big moments.
“Since starting in 2017 – it hasn't even been ten years – there has been a major change in how we film things, what platforms they go on and what formats they're in now,” Nicholas says.
“But video storytelling is not going anywhere. You just need to be open to change and just roll with that wave, that's exactly what we've done.”
Story by Kelly White, photos by Tyler Cherry